Expectations
-I imagine it’ll be something that wraps Tidus’s and Yuna’s story up. Maybe a thing about their life on Besaid, with guest appearances from both Yuna’s Guardians and Paine. Not sure.
-That’s really all I got.
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Bonus Audio
-A male voice. Tidus. Two years laeter.
-He spent a year with Yuna… What about the second year?
-Credits are rolling now btw. Not sure if this is for the audio or for the X/X-2 compilation. Both maybe.
-A woman wondering if the council will take responsibility for something.
-The real issue for her is the “Star.”
-Kurgun? Chuami? New characters.
-Heh, they see Tidus and see him as a star. Chuami’s the woman, Kurgum a male. (Or not. I’m just guessing based on voices, and could of course be wrong.)
-Tidus has a rep as a legendary guardian.
Is that an FFIII Onion Knight I spy?
-Tidus knew her father? WAKKA? WAIT IS THIS WAKKA ANDE LULU’S KID??
-Tidus is playing blitzball again.
-Wish I could pause this or go back.
-Chuami notices something’s wrong with Tidus. His grip felt “lifeless.”
-lolol is Chuami going to bet against Tidus?
-Kurgum would be a summoner, but is a “Council’authorized” Sender. She’s Kurgum’s assistant. Not in love with him.
-I like her attitude, her tone.
-Baralai is the Spira Council Chancellor. Some political unity.
-I really dig all these postcards during the audio/credits.
-Their goal is to meet High Summoner Yuna, an adviser to “Yevoners.” “Guard dogs of the old ways and so-called morality.” She fucking HATES them.
-This is three years since Sin’s defeat. So no way is she Wakka’s and Lulu’s daughter. That kid is probably only .
-MAYOR LULU
-Wakka unleashes a volley of “Ya.” Is protective of Yuna. Good.
-They move into the Chamber of the Fayth. Yuna is here, and prays even w/o any Fayth.
-Chuami asks about the Yevoners. Wakka says they just want to live their own lives by the teachings, not trying to control anything, and that most of the teachings are reasonable and common.
-Wakka is so much more flexible than he started out.
-Yevoners are different than New Yevoners. More conservative.
-Holy shit Chuami. She’s seriously anti-religion, and pretty rude about it.
Wakka scolds her.
-Her mother was killed by Yevoner hunters. Hm. Not quite sure what this means – like, if her mom was a Yevoner killed by someone who hunts Yevoners, or if her mom was killed by a group of Yevoners that hunt people. Probably the former.
-They arrive at Yuna.
-Besaid is home of the Yevoners.
-Kurgum is bringing her something from Baralai. She’s… dismissive. Chuami insists, presses.
-Chuami really is hammering home how useless she finds prayer, even to Yuna. Yuna takes it more gracefully than Wakka.
-The sphere they brought has some shoopufs on the Moonflow. Two.
-Wait, Shoopufs are nearly extinct?
-Something about “The Beckoning.” But the Beckoning is forbidden outside the Farplane.
-Ah. The Shoopuf is an illusion, a Sending. She wants Kurgum to send it. But the Moonflow isn't approachable right now.
-Who brought back the Shoopuf? The Council thinks it’s the Yevoners, but it’s not.
-Wakka is super protective of Yuna’s time, doesn’t want her to travel. She doesn’t either.
-She hasn’t seen Tidus for a while it seems. Yuna hears for the first time from Chuami that Tidus isn’t doing well.
-The conversation shifts outside, to Lulu.
-I love how the music shifts with each location.
-AURON’S HER FATHER OH SHIT
-Lulu is skeptical. Doesn’t think Auron would’ve hid a kid.
-She keeps knocking Mayor Lulu. Her attitude and her body.
---
Moonflow
-They head to the Moonflow.
-Lots of crowds here to see the shoopuf.
-Wait. No. Crowds of ghosts. Of beckoned. Kurgum senses it too.
-This is too vivid.
-A poor kid is seeing her dead mother here.
-THE BECKONED MOTHER SPOKE. WHAT??? IS THIS NOT AN ILLUSION? This is some Ghostbusters shit.
-Kurgum wants to Send them. Yuna is hesitant. She’s more conscious of the human impact of breaking up these reunions.
---
Bevelle
-This is later. Sin has returned, and the Moonflow returns were an omen.
-Now I’m confused. Yuna confirms that Sin is here. Someone beckoned it. Someone “strongly wished for Sin.”
-Yuna goes to see Tidus. I’ll bet Tidus is the one who wished for Sin’s return subconsciously – some return to a time in his life when he felt real and alive and with purpose.
-Chuami eavesdrops on this conversation between Yuna and Tidus.
-Yuna is jealous of someone named Marphie. Or not, but wonders if Tidus has been interested in her. Tidus claims she’s just a friend.
-YUNA IS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE WHAT
“Someone you don’t know.”
-I’m so confused. I was rooting for this back in X-2 when I thought the canon was that Tidus was still gone, but now that they're reunited? DO NOT WANT. Especially with no frigging context.
-Chuami is upset hearing on this because she’s having a “spat.”
-wait. Okay. Kurgum is now “breaking up” with Chuami because he’s in love with Yuna. I’m super confused. She’s not with him in that way and says so. Are Yuna and Chuami possessed? That’s my best guess.
----
-Chuami came back to Besaid alone.
-Tidus comes back to Besaid.
-Oh. I’ll bet the person Yuna loves is, like, a different version of Tidus.
-Lulu says Sin came back, so others will too. Auron?
---
-Tidus still wants to go to Yuna. He promised he’d be there for her.
-Chuami is upset, but buys it.
-The postcards are tons of shots of Yuna and Tidus now.
-We hear Yuna saying she’ll defeat Sin. With Tidus as the Final Aeon? I can’t imagine the relatively happy ending of X-2 will get so summarily executed like this.
-Wait. That’s it? Wtf? What? How? Why? Huh?
---
-I messaged djinn87 to make sure I didn’t accidentally close it early or something, but yeah, that seems like it.
-I really don’t know what to think of this.
-Wait. Yes. I do. There are three overriding thoughts.
1)I LOVE Chuami. She’s a really cool character, and I’d absolutely play an FFX sequel starring her. The hardcore anti-Yevon perspective. We saw it from Rikku a bit, but that’s about the only thing they have in common. Chuami is so acerbic and blunt that it swings around to endearing.
2)The art and music was wonderful. So was the sound design and production. I never felt lost, always knew exactly where we were.
3)The plot is awful. The return of Sin? Yuna suddenly leaves Tidus? (But perhaps possession? Or not?) It’s like chapter one in a new story that I hadn’t heard about. And a new story I hate. The whole joy of FFX was reaching the Eternal Calm, and of X-2 was experiencing life within the Calm. We’re tossing Spira back into that same cycle again just cause?
Just… I dunno. It feels like it’s somebody’s unimaginative and unedited notes for FFX-3 rather than the complete complete audio short story that I was expecting. It didn’t tie things up. It did the opposite. Ugh.
I’m just going to just kind of shrug and pretend this didn’t exist. In my headcanon version of the compilation, FFX ends with Yuna moving on and Tidus swimming in some heavenly afterlife, and FFX-2 ends with Yuna moving on from her grief with the Gullwings’ help to a new and quiet life in Besaid, a well-deserved rest.
4)Oh yeah, almost forgot: GHOST SHOOPUF! That’s a pretty awesome concept. I’d assumed the Farplane was for humans only. I’m happy to learn that all dogs go to heaven, even in Spira.
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Next time: I’ve spent a long time in the world of Spira. I started Final Fantasy X back in early August 2016. I’ve played for over five months through X, X-2, and Last Mission. It’s time to say goodbye to Spira.
Time to say hello to whatever the name of the world of Final Fantasy XI is. I’M SO EXCITED!!!!
